A New Creative Adventure

I have loved painting since middle school. I took all every single art class available in high school (six) and I have pursued little creative projects when I can since. There were a couple times in college that I was having particularly difficult times, and I found a creative outlet in painting something. I created all the artwork for Charlotte's nursery and much of it for her big girl room. My point is that although I haven't always had a consistent creative outlet since high school, I've loved opportunities to draw and paint when they've appeared.

When we decided to pursue our embryo adoption back in April (you can read all about it here), the price tag hit us a little harder than we expected it to. It's not as expensive as, say, an international adoption, but it is certainly more expensive than some domestic, state adoptions. I started thinking about ways that I could try to help pay for the adoption rather than having to cover it all out of pocket. And one of my first, most obvious thoughts was to start an Etsy shop with some paintings.

I started cranking out the paintings almost immediately, and it surprised me how much I loved it. The whole thing had started as just a way to offset the cost of the adoption a little bit, but I think I need it even more than the adoption does. I have loved having a reason to paint and think and play, and I have loved the thrill of a finished, polished piece. Everything has been packed up for months since our move, but my desk and office/studio is completely organized and wonderful and I can't wait to dive back in.

And in the meantime, while I figure out how to actually get the Etsy shop up and running, (by the weekend is the goal) here's some sneak peeks of some of the finished paintings that will be listed. It's been so fun playing around with different and new styles. These little guys are completely different than anything I've done before, but they have been so stinking fun and they've stretched me artistically. I'm proud of them, and I hope you all like them too.